The King Fire burning near Pollock Pines has grown to almost 12,000 acres and containment has decreased to just 5 percent.

The King Fire burning near Pollock Pines has grown to almost 12,000 acres and containment has decreased to just 5 percent.

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Updated: 2:16 PM PDT Sep 16, 2014

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WEBVTT KCRA 3 NEWS AT NOON STARTS RIGHT NOW. MAKING PROGRESS BUT A LONG WAY TO GO TO GET THE KING FIRE UNDER CONTROL. YOU CAN SEE HOW EXPANSIVE THIS AREA IS WHERE THEY ARE FIGHTING THIS FIRE. CAL FIRE SAYS THIS HAS GROWN TO 11,570 ACRES. CONTAINMENT HAS DECREASED TO 5%. THE NUMBER OF FIREFIGHTERS BATTLING THE FLAMES HAS DOUBLED FROM THIS TIME YESTERDAY. THERE ARE MORE THAN 1500 FIREFIGHTERS ASSIGNED. THERE ARE NEW EVACUATION ORDERS IN PLACE. OUR TEAM COVERAGE WITH BRIAN HICKEY WHO SAYS, DESPITE THE FIRES GROWTH, FIREFIGHTERS SAY THEY ARE MAKING SOME GOOD PROGRESS. THEY CERTAINLY MADE GOOD PROGRESS OVERNIGHT, STRENGTHENING THEIR CONTAINMENT LINES ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE. BUT THIS IS THE NORTH SIDE OF THE FIRE. THIS IS THE NORTH SIDE OF THE AMERICAN RIVER CANYON WHERE THE FIRE IS BLOWING UP AND AIR TANKERS ARE TRYING TO PAINT A LINE OF RETARDANT ON THE RIDGELINE TO PROTECT THE HOMES THAT ARE RIGHT ON THE RICHLAND. YOU WILL SEE A WHITE -- ON THE RIDGE LINE. YOU WILL SEE A WHITE HOME WITH A GREEN ROOF. YOU CAN SEE THE BLACK PLUME OF SMOKE BUILDING BEHIND IT. THE GROUND CREWS ARE HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME MAKING DIRECT ACCESS TO THIS FIRE. THAT IS WHERE THE AIR TANKERS ARE COMING IN. CREWS WORK ON THE GROUND TO PROTECT THE SOUTH SIDE. FROM THE AIR AND DEEP INTO THE SMOKE-FILLED CANYON, FIRE CREWS CONTINUED TO BATTLE AN INTENSE AND DIFFICULT THINGS FIRE. EARNING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AMERICAN RIVER. WHILE -- BURNING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AMERICAN RIVER, WHILE RESIDENTS ON BOTH SIDES SUFFER SLEEPLESSNESS WITH WORRY. THIS IS THE VIEW FROM ETHAN SNYDER'S HOME. HE IS READY TO GO IF THE FLAMES GET ANY CLOSER. IT WAS STAYING PUT FOR A DAY. THEN IN ABOUT TWO HOURS, IT JUMPED HALF A MILE THIS WAY. DURING THE COOLEST HOURS OF THE DAY, CREWS WORKED OVERNIGHT. THEY USED A METHOD CALLED BACK BURNING. IT IS A WAY THAT WE FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE. WE ELIMINATE ALL THE FUELS BETWEEN AN ESTABLISHED CONTROL IN. IT IS THE -- CONTROL LINE. IT IS THE NORTH SIDE THAT IT APPEARS TO BE RUNNING UP -- RUNNING UNCHECKED. IS IN MORE REMOTE AND RUGGED CONTERRAIN. . WEATHER AND TERRAIN DICTATE THE NEXT MOVE DID RESIDENTS AND FIREFIGHTERS ALIKE PUT THEIR HOPES ON THE EVER SHIFTING WIND. AS THE VALLEY HEATS UP, WE WILL SEE THE WIND SHIFT FROM DOWN VALLEY TO RALLY WIND. . WE SEE IT COMING TOWARDS US RIGHT NOW UP THE CANYON. THAT SHIFT IS UNDERWAY RIGHT NOW. WE ARE AT THE HEAD OF THE FIRE, IN FRONT OF THE FIRE RIGHT NOW. YOU CAN SEE THE LEFT SIDE OF YOUR SCREEN IS THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE FIRE NEAR POLLOCK PINES. THE RIGHT SIDE OF YOUR SCREEN IS THE NORTHERN SIDE OF THE AMERICAN RIVER CANYON. THAT IS WHERE THOSE HOMES ARE ACROSS THE HILLSIDE AND THE FIRE IS GETTING INTO DIFFICULT TERRAIN FOR FIREFIGHTERS TO ACCESS. NOT A LOT OF ROADS OUT THERE MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO GET THERE. NOW THE WIND AND SMOKE WAS GOING DOWN CANYON. YOU CAN SEE BEHIND US, CLEARLY NOW, THAT IS COMING BACK UP SLOPE, OF CANYON NOW. FLYING OVER MY HEAD IS THE DC-10 SETTING UP FOR A DROP. HE WILL BE COMING IN RIGHT DOWN THIS RIDGELINE AND PUTTING SOME RETIRED AND NEAR THOSE HOMES TO PROTECT THEM. YOU HAVE BEEN OUT THERE SO LONG. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN HEAR ME WITH THE D.C. OVERHEAD -- THE DC-10 OVERHEAD. IT IS AMAZING HOW THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROTECT THESE HOMES WITH THE BREEZE OR CONDITIONS IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. ABSOLUTELY. THEY CREDIT A LOT OF THAT TO THE HOMEOWNERS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE FIRE. FIRES ARE DRIVEN BY TWO THINGS, TERRAIN AND WEATHER. IT IS EXTREME HERE. IT IS VERY STEEP, RUNS THE FIRE RIGHT UP THE HILLSIDES. THE WIND IS PUSHING IT RIGHT ALONG AS WELL. YOU HAVE TWO OF THE WORST-CASE SCENARIOS HERE. RESIDENTS LOVE THIS AREA, BUT THEY HAVE DONE THEIR PART TO PROTECT THEIR HOMES BY BUILDING THE DEFENSIBLE SPACE AROUND THEIR HOMES. FIRE CREWS HAVE THE SPACE THEY NEED TO DO THEIR WORK. YOU SEE THE DC-10, PERHAPS SETTING UP TO COME IN BEHIND THIS RIDGE NOW, THE NORTHERN SIDE OF THE FIRE. THIS IS THE GOLIATH OF THE AIRFLEET. THIS PLAN CAN DROP THREE TO FOUR TIMES THE LOAD OF THE SMALLER PLANES. IF WE HAVE TIME TO STAY WITH THIS, WE CAN GET THE SHOT. AN UNUSUAL SIGHT TO BE ABLE TO SEE THIS AS THEY ARE DOING IT. YOU DON'T SEE THAT ALL THAT OFTEN. REMARKABLE, THERE AND COME ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY ARE TRY TO FOCUS ON SUCH A SPECIFIC AREA, RIGHT OVER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT RIDGE, TRYING TO CREATE EVEN MORE DEFENSIBLE SPACE BETWEEN THE FIRE AND THE BACKS OF THOSE HOMES. WHAT YOU WILL SEE HERE COME A FRONT OF ME, IS A SMALLER LEAD LANE. -- PLANE. HE CIRCLES THAN DOES THE SURVEILLANCE AND THAT PRACTICE RUN. HE WILL GUIDE IN THE PLANES. HE WILL LEAVE A PUFF OF SMOKE LIKE AN AROMATIC LANE, CONNECTING THE DOTS, LEADING THAT LARGE PLANE IN. THIS POINT HAS COME HERE AND ONCE. LOOKS LIKE HE IS SAID TO COME IN ON THIS RUN RIGHT NOW. I AM TRYING TO LISTEN TO THE RADIO TRAFFIC. LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE SETTING UP FOR THE DROP. THEY HAVE TO BE RIGHT ON TARGET AS WE CONTINUE TO WATCH THIS DC-10 FLY OVER THE SCENE. THERE WAS THE SMOKE TRAIL RIGHT THERE. RIGHT HERE IS WHERE HE IS GOING TO DROP STARTING RIGHT NOW. THERE IS WHERE THE SMOKE TRAIL STARTED, RIGHT ON TARGET. IT IS NOW BETWEEN THE HOME, THE RIDGELINE AND THE ACTIVE FIRE LINE. HE PRETTY MUCH PAINTED THAT ENTIRE RIDGELINE UP TO THE HOME. SMALLER AIR TANKERS HAVE DONE A DIFFICULT PATH -- DIFFICULT TASK OF GETTING DOWN IN THE CANYON. THE SMALLER PLANES CAN DO THAT. HE WAS CONNECTING THE DOTS BETWEEN THE SMALLER DROPS AND PAINTING NOW ON RIGHT ALONG THE TOP. HOPEFULLY THAT WILL GIVE CREWS THE TIME THEY NEED TO GET SOME DOZERS IN THERE AND MOVE IN BEHIND THE RETARDANT. IF IT WAS NOT THERE, IT WOULD BE TOO HARD FOR THEM. THAT IS A GREAT WAY TO EXPLAIN IT. THEY ARE CONNECTING THE DOTS WITH THE LITTLE PLANES AND CREATING A TARGET AND BRING IN THE LARGER ONE. WHAT A. THANK YOU SO MUCH -- WHAT A IM. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

King fire grows to 11,570 acres

The King Fire burning near Pollock Pines has grown to almost 12,000 acres and containment has decreased to just 5 percent.